What can the ARP do?

Finds the origin of the injury

Injured tissue is the result of force transferring to an area of the body not designed to absorb the force. The inability to absorb force properly is due to an inability to control the muscles properly. The ARP search and destroy protocol allows the therapist to search the patient’s body for the source of the injury. The machine tells the therapist where to do the therapy. In many cases the position of the electrode pads is away from the site of the injury. Just like the place the force should have been absorbed is away from the spot the force transferred to and caused the injury. All other therapeutic devices are put on the area of the injury. Many times this is the wrong area to do therapy. The site of the injury is where the injury ended, not where the injury began. The search and destroy technique allows us to find the cause of the injury and destroy it.

Breaks down scar tissue

The ARP machine has a patented waveform. One of the waves produced by the ARP machine allows the tissues to become more permeable. Typically injuries cannot heal because blood cannot flow to the injured area. The ARP machine breaks the bonds holding the scar tissue together and flushes it away with increased blood flow. With less scar tissue surrounding an injured area more blood will be able to flow to the injury site and accelerate the healing time. Other therapies such as active release technique (ART) break the scar tissue, but also causes low grade inflammation. Inflammation is the stimulus to form scar tissue. Following an ART therapy session the scar tissue reforms in the injured area. Following an ARP session the scar tissue is removed from the body.

Increases blood flow

The rate of healing is dependent on the amount of blood flow to the area. For example, a cut on the tongue will heal very quickly, while a cut on the finger will take two weeks or more. This is because there is a larger amount of blood naturally flowing in the tongue. The ARP machine is approved by the FDA to increase blood flow. Increasing the blood flow allows the body to bring more protein to the injured area for repair and flushing out toxins such as inflammation and scar tissue.

Stops the compensation pattern

When a person feels pain there is an automatic response to move away from this pain. This response is called a compensation pattern. After a person has had pain for several days the reflex pattern becomes the normal movement pattern. Breaking this reflex pattern is one of the most difficult processes for injury rehabilitation. Typically, even after the injury has healed and there is no pain the reflex pattern remains and can be seen. With the search and destroy technique the therapist can find the origin of the compensation pattern. When the electrode is moved over the area that stimulates the patient to move into the reflex pattern the patient will have an increase in sensation. This tells the therapist where the treatment spot is located. Then during the treatment the therapist increases the current causing the compensation pattern to occur. The therapist then instructs the patient to move without displaying the compensation pattern. Doing a normal movement with the ARP machine on eliminates the old ingrained compensation pattern and replaces it with the new movement pattern.

Strengthens weak muscle

The ARP machine also helps us strengthen weak muscles. From the beginning of the injury the muscle becomes weaker and weaker each passing moment. It is very important to regain lost strength following the injury. Because of the increased blood flow caused by the ARP it allows us to do much more strength work. This is because the recovery time following an exercise is much lower. Strength training with the ARP machine also helps prevent the return of any compensation patterns.

Decreases pain

Inflammation is the byproduct produced from an injury. This is also the product that stimulates pain receptors to tell the brain we have injured tissue. By using the ARP machine to decrease scar tissue and increase blood flow we can reduce the amount of inflammation. By reducing the amount of inflammation the amount of pain the patient feels is dramatically less. A typical reduction of pain experienced after one ARP session is about 25%.

Relaxes muscle

The ARP machine has a patented waveform that is able to allow the muscle to relax. This is very important because all other electrical stimulation devices cause muscle contraction. Normally following an injury the patient will have tightness, stiffness, and decreased range of motion. This is due to tight, contracted, protecting muscles. The ARP machine is able to instantly relax these muscles. By relaxing these muscles the patient will feel looser, more relaxed, and have decreased pain and increased blood flow. Muscle contraction is another cause of the sensation of pain.

Relaxing the muscle also helps us in the strengthening process. The more relaxed a muscle is the more strength work a patient can do. As the muscle reaches the fully shortened position the patient will become fully fatigued and must stop the exercise. By using the ARP and instantaneously lengthening the muscle again, it allows us to continue the strength work. Normally a patient would have to wait 24-48 hours before continuing with the strength work. Relaxing muscles also reduces and can sometimes eliminate delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which can usually be felt in the two to three days following an exercise session.

Prevention of injuries

Preparing an athlete for a game is as simple as using the ARP machine to loosen all of the muscles in the body. This technique takes a little as 2 minutes and the effect can last four to six hours. All of the jogging and stretching done before a practice or game is an attempt to prepare the muscle for a high level of work. This preparation takes a lot of time and energy. Using the ARP to prepare saves time and energy and works better.

Recovery after exercise or sporting event

Recovery is all about waiting for a shortened, fatigued muscle to move into a lengthened position. Soreness following exercise is due to metabolites trapped in the muscles. Using the ARP for recovery instantly lengthens the muscle reducing the tightness and fatigue. It also increases blood flow, which can flush the metabolites out of the muscle reducing the muscle soreness.